New Years Resolution
by FredMischiefmanagedGeorge
Summary: Where did the New Years Resolution come from? Step back into the year 1002 and find out how it's actually entwined with the wizarding world. For the Quidditch League Fanfiction Resolution- Round 11


**A.N Here you are, isn't that good. Very rushed once again. Sorry about that.**

**Team: Tutshill Tornadoes**

**Position: Captain**

**Round: 11**

**Writing about: New Years in the year 1002**

**Title: New Years Resolution**

**Words: 2507**

**For those of you innocent people who stumble upon this one-shot and are unaware of my speaking of Quidditch, teams and nonsense, it is alright! This is for a sort of contest on a forum and nothing that you aren't allowed to read, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Characters and all other recognizable written words such as 'incendio' belong to J.K Rowling.**

* * *

"As the year turns, we shall be studying the history of the traditions." Professor Binns said.

This caused some of the seventh year students to perk up. What traditions would they learn about? Would they be practising it in class? They hadn't done any practical work at all!

Professor Binns carried on, not particularly interested if they were listening or not.

"The idea of a new years resolution was believed to date back to the ancient romans. However, those were muggles who made up the belief as they didn't know what really happened." Professor Binns said. "The muggles knew we existed back then, but today it is a myth to them."

He then remembered what Professor McGonagall had said about involving the students more often. Professor Binns let out a deep sigh before asking a question.

"Can anyone tell me what actually started the tradition?"

A girl in the back raised her hand immediately raised her hand. Others slowly joined her, quite surprised that they had been asked a question. Professor Binns heard loud snores coming from the back of the class and he let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Yes, miss-" he began to address the girl who had raised her hand first.

"Hunt." the brown-haired girl broke in. "The tradition originally started with wizards and witches. It's said that the new years resolution started with weddings. Many people would be wedded on the day of new years. Those weddings were called new year resolutions."

Professor Binns nodded in approval and glanced at her tie.

"Five points to Ravenclaw."

"Now who can tell me what muggles believe the 'celebratory sparks' are? As well-" Professor Binns asked before being interrupted once again.

"Sir," a Gryffindor boy began. "this isn't muggle studies. Why are we involving them so much if this is wizarding history?"

Professor Binns remembered this boy, oh he did. The same boy had slept in the past three classes, and had disrupted his fellow classmates.

"Well, Mr. Griffiths," Professor Binns said. "the statute of secrecy was not established at the time the tradition was created, as it was signed in sixteen eighty-nine, but officially established three years later in sixteen ninety-two."

"So?" the blonde boy frowned.

"So muggles were as much a part of our world as we were of it, back then." Professor Binns explained. "Muggles were aware of magic in that time period. We are simply inviting their views to the table, but we aren't studying them. In muggle studies, you would go more into depth with the muggle views."

The blonde boy nodded, sitting back in his desk.

"So, Mr. Griffiths, what are the celebratory sparks to the muggles?"

"They call them fireworks." the boy said. "They've created their own almost like it. It includes a bunch of different powders."

"Good. Five points to Gryffindor." Professor Binns smiled. "Now, the time period it was believed to be in was the eleventh century. Can anyone tell me which country the new years resolution was believed to originate from?"

The brown-haired girl raised up her hand, quickly.

"Yes...miss?" Professor Binns asked.

The girl just about let out a loud sigh of annoyance. The professor hadn't remembered her name nearly a minute later, but remembered the blonde boy's name without asking.

"Hunt." she supplied before answering. "It was believed to originate from here in Europe. The belief, or course, is rather obvious as-"

"Duh," scoffed the blonde boy. "America wasn't inhabited then."

The girl turned around in her seat to glare at the boy.

"Yea, thanks _Josh_." the girl snapped, angrily. "I was just getting to that, if you hadn't interrupted me!"

"No need to get in tiff over it, Amanda." Josh laughed. "I was only correcting you, sorry. I forgot you were a _Ravenclaw_ and you know how _they_ are."

"And how are we?" the girl snarled.

"Little-"

"Mr. Griffiths! Miss..?!"

"Hunt." the girl sighed in defeat.

"Detention! The both of you. Report to Professor McGonagall after supper."

The girl fumed in her spot, while Josh shrugged as if it was no big deal. At the end of class, he turned to her with a grin on his face.

"That'll go on your clean record, I bet!"

"At least it isn't as dirty as your face, you arrogant git!" the girl snapped before leaving the room.

Josh stared after her in stunned silence.

* * *

_Year 1002_

_Memory 365 of the Department of Mysteries_

_Original_

_Copied 567 986 times_

"You." the girl snarled, walking with such fury towards him.

Her blonde hair flew out from behind her, almost as if it were on fire. Yet the green goop on her hair ruined the whole effect. The five boys at the end of the hall turned to see her, all grinning. They pushed on of them forwards, laughing all the while. The one they had pushed forwards had dark brown hair, and deep blue eyes.

"Me?" the boy who had been pushed forwards asked, innocently.

"Yes, you." the girl shouted. "Get this stuff out of my hair. I am _not_ going to the celebration like this."

"Well, it looks like you'll have to miss it." the boy smiled, in mock-pity.

"I can't miss this one! I absolutely must be there. You do know that my gentleman friend will be there!"

"So?" the boy laughed. "You do what you want. It doesn't matter to me."

The girl fumed in her spot as he paraded away, laughing with his friends. She would most definitely be going, and he would not ruin it. Now just to use her Ravenclaw brain…

oOo

"Oh, I do look fit, don't I?" the boy with brown hair laughed.

He was looking at himself in a mirror with a grin. His dress robes would make all the ladies look right at him.

"Don't ask me, go ask some lass." another boy responded from his bed, eyes on a book.

"But Arthur!" the brown-haired boy exclaimed. "You deny our love! I would never ask a lass, because you hold my heart!"

"Right," Arthur said, eyes not leaving the book. "I love you too, Oliver. Platonically. Now out."

With that, Arthur flicked his wand, and Oliver was thrown out of the room.

"You're a toad, Arthur! You know that?"

"I do, but at least I'm a much prettier sight."

Oliver grumbled to himself as he straightened his robes.

oOo

She was crouched behind the statue, smirking to herself. Though this was rather Slytherin-like of her, she didn't care. Too often had she not done anything rash back to the boys who tormented others in what they liked to call 'pranks'. Well, today they would learn. They would learn from a Ravenclaw, just as Ravenclaws love learning, they sure like to teach too.

"Bloody Arthur, bloody stairs, bloody-"

"_Cresceacutaures_." the girl whispered.

Oliver began to grow long pointed ears which resembled that of a vampire. The girl sunk away, grinning. Oh, who knew revenge was so sweet?

oOo

What Oliver had expected when he walked into the Great Hall was not screams of terror. He expected ladies crowding around him as they so often did, listening to his every word.

"Oliver is a vampire!" he heard some girl cry out.

Oliver was quite confused with what was going on. Students were either screaming, or watching him with wide-eyes.

"_I am not a vampire_!" Oliver yelled, frowning.

What made them think such a thing? Students were moving away from him quickly, afraid of being near him.

"QUIET!" a voice yelled.

Everyone turned and spread a path for a black-haired, and blue-eyed woman. She gave them all glances of fury.

"This is not how the students of Hogwarts should be acting!" Rowena said. "We should all be acting maturely, like Clarice and Albert, over here."

Rowena gestured to two of her Ravenclaw students who were arm-and-arm with each other. They were smiling slightly, but ducked away from the attention. Oliver narrowed his eyes on Clarice. He had pranked her often, and he wondered why she was the calm one, and the others were screaming. What was so different?

"But Lady Ravenclaw! Oliver is a- is a-" a boy began.

"Speak up, dear boy!" Rowena commanded.

"Oliver is a vampire! He has the ears and everything!" a girl exclaimed from the crowd.

"Ears?" Oliver muttered to himself.

He then reached up to his ears, expecting them to be normal. Yet they were most definitely not normal. They were long and pointy! At that moment Rowena had reached them.

"I believe you have been hexed, Mr. Griffiths." she said. "A rather complicated one too. Off to the infirmary, I am afraid you will have to miss the first dance."

As Oliver was leaving, he spotted Clarice and Albert laughing with each other in the corner.

* * *

"You know what I think?" Josh asked, aloud.

The girl cast a severe look over her shoulder before going back to scrubbing the trophy. He had caused her to get her ninth detention in just one week! Needless to say, it irritated her to no end. True, she had not had a clean slate, but she was proud to say that she didn't have one detention a week.

"I think that you want to be in detention with me!" Josh exclaimed. "You're always where I'm going to play a practical joke on someone."

The girl threw down her cloth angrily, before looking at Josh. She locked her jaw as she fixed him with a cold stare.

"You think I _want_ to be here?" she scoffed. "You do know that I was the one you were playing what you call a joke, on?"

There was silence.

"The amount of stupidity in your head is astounding!" she exclaimed, turning back to wipe with the cloth again.

* * *

"This is all your fault." Clarice shouted.

"My fault? You were the one who cast the rogue spell!"

"I'm sorry it hit the armour because of you pushing me!"

"Oh shut it."

"What? You can't handle it that I'm right?"

"No I just-"

"Silence." Rowena commanded, walking into the room with Godric following.

The two sat at attention where they were upon the seats of their desks.

"Your actions were utterly disgraceful." Rowena began.

"But rather brilliant." Godric added.

"They were both disrespectful and disruptive to the students, ghosts, and teachers alike!"

"But rather entertaining."

"Since this has gone on too long with no punishments changing your actions, Godric and I have made a decision."

"With a little input from the other heads."

"You are going to make a resolution starting this year to become friends." Rowena told them.

The two students stared at her in silence.

"But that's impossible!" they both shouted in unison.

"Ah, I can just smell soul-mates!"

"That's enough Godric."

* * *

"Can you tell me your name, Hunt?"

"You just said it."

"I meant your first name. It seems a bit hostile to say your last name all the time."

"You're suggesting we be friends?"

"Call it a new years resolution."

There was silence between them before she answered, turning to look at him from her trophy spot. It was the seventeenth time she had gotten detention in the past two months.

"My name is Layla Hunt."

"Pretty name."

* * *

Oliver walked into the dorm, his face revealing an expression of one who was disturbed.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, sitting up from his bed.

"The founders, they want us to be friends!" Oliver exclaimed.

"I'm assuming it's being friends between Clarice and yourself, correct?" Arthur asked.

"Of course Clarice! Who else?"

"Well, you weren't being very specific."

"The founders called it a resolution for the new year." Oliver scoffed. "Said that if we were starting a new year over, Clarice and I could start over."

"That sounds interesting." Arthur said. "A resolution for the new year, huh."

"What's so big about that?"

"Well, we don't have much traditions, do we?"

"No, I guess not." Oliver shrugged.

"Perhaps we could do this resolution thing to help you!" Arthur said, excitedly.

"Help me?" Oliver deadpanned.

"Yes! Since it's practically impossible for you to be friends with Clarice, I'll make my own resolution." Arthur grinned. "Then we can see who lasts the longest with our resolutions."

"So a competition?" Oliver asked, grinning. "What's the prize?"

"Bragging rights, and ten galleons."

"Sweet! You're on!"

oOo

"Remember, the resolution!" Arthur said.

"I know, watch." Oliver grinned.

He raced ahead and caught up with Clarice who was talking to Albert animatedly.

"Clarice! Long time no see!" Oliver said, placing an arm around her shoulder.

Clarice shrugged it off, giving him a suspicious glance, barely noticing that Albert slid his arm protectively around her waist.

"What are you up to, Griffiths?"

"Oh Clarice, do you not remember what the founders said?" Oliver asked as if talking to a child.

"I remember it clearly." Clarice said.

Oliver noticed Albert's arm around Clarice's waist and nearly scowled. He then spoke to them once again.

"Godric said we were soul-mates, bound to each other for all eternity."

"He didn't say that!" Clarice scoffed.

"Griffiths, I suggest you run off." Albert said.

"Ah, I see." Oliver smirked before turning.

He knew the suspicion in Clarice would rise, and boy, it did. Clarice wore a shocked expression before muttering a few words to Albert and running after Oliver. She caught up to him outside and crossed her arms.

"What are you playing at?" she demanded.

Oliver leant against the stone walls and smiled. Him and Clarice had been at each other's throats for a long while. Yet he saw something now between Clarice and himself. A chance to be actual friends.

"Answer me."

Oliver shrugged.

"I was thinking about this new years resolution, thing."

"So? They aren't going to take it seriously. It was just something they said."

"Yes, but-"

"Do you honestly want to be friends?" Clarice scoffed. "This is some sort of joke, isn't it?"

Oliver stared at her, he was beginning to feel rather awkward.

"I might, maybe want to be friends?"

Clarice stared at him.

"Are you under a-a love potion?"

Oliver burst out laughing.

"You want me to be in love with you?"

Clarice smiled.

"Are you serious about the whole 'being friends thing'?"

"Starting tomorrow." Oliver nodded, grinning.

"On new years?"

"It's a new years resolution."

* * *

"Josh, what are you going to do this year?" Greg asked his friend. "As in a new years resolution, other than Quidditch."

Josh looked up from throwing a quaffle at the wall upon his bed. He bit his lip before looking at his dirty hands. Josh then looked up with a shy grin which was rather unlike his usual confident self.

"I want to be friends with Layla Hunt."

* * *

**A.N I'm just going to say here that I'm glad I finished it. It's utterly horrible, and I'll re-edit it, but there. I'm done. Success!**

**Cheers,**

**Lupey**


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